Electric baseboard heaters are well known. Conventionally, electric baseboard heaters are elongate and have a low profile. Usually, they have an elongate finned heating element and a simple control switch, optionally with a thermostat, at one end. Elongate top and bottom openings are provided in an outer housing, to enable natural convection to transfer the heat to the room air.
With the introduction of flexible gas distribution systems for buildings, opportunities for new applications have developed. One such opportunity involves using a gas-fired baseboard heater in applications where electric baseboard heaters are currently used. The attractiveness of using gas as an original or a replacement source of energy has increased due to the large increases in electricity rates compared to the more steady gas prices.
There are known designs for gas-fired baseboard heaters, but these are large and bulky, often resembling room heaters more than baseboard heaters.
Known gas baseboard heaters currently use a natural draft sealed combustion system with a standing pilot and a conventional gas control valve. Based on conventional gas technology, the flame is oriented vertically and the heat exchanger is relatively bulky. As a result, the whole device is bulky and unattractive and occupies a lot of space. Such existing baseboard heaters use multi-port burners, which again increases the bulk of the device.
Heat is readily transferred from the heat exchanger to the surrounding air by natural convection. Cooler air at the floor level enters via the lower grille and is heated as it rises past the heat exchanger and exits from a top mounted discharge grille. Most heaters of this type are equipped with a local thermostat mounted on the heater itself, to regulate the operation of the heater.